Rail-joint.



c. vv. MONTGOMERY II c. A. KoIILEII.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 2o, I9I5.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET lg?, y w13 x x C. W. MONTGOMERY & C. A. KHLER.

RAIL 10|NT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 1915.

Mmmm/3,. Patented Apr. 1S, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@Alfww i? rien Yra F di UFFM.

CHARLES W. MONTGOMERY AND CHARLES A. KHLER, 0F HABRISBURG, PENNSYL- 'VANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application led November 20, 1915.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES W. MONT- GOMERY and CHARLES A. KOHLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification. j

This invention relates to novel provisions for connecting and at the same time electrically insulating the adjacent ends of alining railway rails.

ln carrying out our invention 1t 1s. our purpose to provide an insulated rail joint of a strong but simple construction, one which will be durable in operation and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

It is a further object of the invention to construct a joint which shall provide a proper support for the rails at the meeting ends thereof and which will eliminate the breaking of rails in insulated joints, it being well lmown to those skilled in the art that the majority of broken rails occur in insulated joints.

We also aim to produce a practical and thoroughly reliable insulated joint for railway rails which may be considered an improvement upon the type of joints known as the `Weber joint, and improvements relating thereto, which class of joints owing to their structural weakness and the continuous pounding by the rolling stock passing over the joint causes the working of the joint in an upward and downward direction subjecting the insulation to friction and wear and consequently rendering the same` defective or useless, which condition requires the rencwal of the insulation as well as the proper ramming up of the joint, so the maintenance of the track is materially increased, and the signals interfered with and rendered defective, which defects are not infrequently the cause of serious accidents as the same cannot be discovered until after failure of the working of the signals occurs. With our construction we overcome the above mentioned deficiencies. f

A still further defect in the well known insulated joints is the fact that the same are not properly supported, most of the said joints being arranged on only two ties which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. ilr, Militia Serial No. .625593.

have proved inadequate for holding the rails in proper alinement and for preventing the working lose of the insulation, and so `with our construction our device is supported upon not less than four ties, which arrangement, rwe have found from practice completely overcomes the mentioned deficiency.

With these and other objects in view, the improvement resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of an insulated rail joint embodying our invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view approximately on the line -B of Fig. l, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the base plate, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the side plates, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the ber insulating plate.

ln the drawings, like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings the numerals l designate four ordinary railroad ties upon which rests the flat base plate 2, the same having its underface centrally formed with a longitudinally extending substantially V-shaped rib 3 which is adapted to be forced into the ties to assist in preventing thelateral movement of the plate 2. The plate may be of a greater length than .the distance between the mentioned four ties 1 and is of a greater width than the iange of the rails which rest upon the plate and which will presently be referred to with more particularity. The plate 2, adjacent its ends, and at the portions thereof which rest upon the outer or end ties 1, is provided with a plurality of spike openings 4, and spikes 5 pass through the said openings and enter the ties, the openings being so spaced as to allow the heads of said spikes to engage with the flanges of the rails 6-6 which are arranged over the plate 2.

The plate 2 at the central portions thereof which restupon the two central or intermediate ties 1, has its longitudinal edges notched,` as at 7, the said notches being adapted to register with corresponding notches 8 in thehorizontal flanges 9 of right angular plates 10. The side plates 10 are of a length equaling the distance betweenlthe outer sides of the intermediate ties 1, and the vertical members of'said plates are provided with openings which aline with the bolt openings in the webs of thel rails-and through which pass connecting bolts, V11.

The numerals 12 and 13 designate wood filler blocks which are of a length corresponding to the length of the plates 10 and are of a width equaling the distance between the opposite sidesof the webs of the rails andthe inner faces ofsaid plates. The filler members 12 and 13 are constructed to `correspond with the cross sectional contour of the rails and are received in the shing spaces of the said rails and the bolts 11 pass through suitable openings inthe said blocks to retain the same in proper railengaging position. The inner faces of the blocks 12 and 13 are centrally and longitudinally channeled, providing the opposite inner corners ofthe same with ribs which contact with the webs of therails, and also providing -a central space between the inner faces of the said blocks and the said webs of the rails, whereby the opposite ends of insulator collars ll may contact'with the said inner v faces of the blocks, the said collars surthe head of the bolt or by the nut 11.

rounding the bolts-lland being disposed in the bolt openings in the webs of the rails. The bolt openings in the vertical members ofthe plates 10 are provided with insulator collars 15 which engage Vbetween thejouter sides of the filler blocks andthe heads of the bolts 11, and with the inner faces of the nuts 11 which are screwed upon the bolts. Each of the collars 15 is provided with a flange 15 which contacts with the louter faces of the plates 10, and arranged upon the outer projection of each of said collars 15 engaging with the flange` 15 ,thereof is a metal washer 16 that is also contacted Iliy v reference to Fig. 2 Aof the drawings it will beseen that the plates 10 are disposed each a suitable distance outward of the longitudinal edges of thelanges of the rails 6 and also thatthe filler blocks 12 and'13 limit or rather hold the plates 10 against inward movement so that danger of the short cir- /cuiting of the signal apparatuswill be prevented or interference with the insulation of the joint by contact ofthe metal plates 10-with the rails will-be overcome. It will be further noted by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, that the ends of the rails are insulated from each other by a plate or filler 18 which is of a similar shape to the cross sectional 'contour of the rails and is arranged between the ends of Saidrails.

' VThe rails are insulated from the metal 'base-2 bya longitudinal strip of-suitabl-e-insulating material, indicated by the numeral 19, which is arranged between the plate 2 and the flanges of the rails. The insulator strip 19 is of a length equaling that of the plate 2, but is of a materially less width than that of said plate 2. Thesheet or strip 19 is centrally provided upon one of its lsides with an integral angular portion or flange 20 that is of a length equaling the length of one of the plates l0, and this flanged portion is arranged between the outer face of the filler block 13 and the inner face of one of the said plates. The flange 20 is provided with a plurality of openings through which the inner edges of the sleeves 15 are passed, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

The bolts 11 are the only means employed for holding the strip 19 in proper position, and spikes 21 pass through the notches 7 in the plate 2 and the registering notches at thehorizontal flange 9 of the plates 10, entering the central ties 1 and securing the said plates 10 to the base plate 2 and holding the central portion of the joint to the central ties 1.

Surrounding the Shanks of the spikes 5 and passing through the openings l in the plate 2 are sleeves 23 of insulating material, and by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that these sleeves contact with the opposite longitudinal edges of the insulator sheet 19 as well as with the longitudinal edges of the flanges of the rails 6.

By a construction as above described, and shown by the drawings, it will be noted that 'the insulating member 19 is effectively sustained upon the base plate 2 throughout the entire length of the said base plate, and that its flanged portion 20 is securely connected between the filler 13 and one of the plates`10, vso that danger of the insulation becoming displaced or working loose by the pounding of the rolling stock on the joint will be entirely overcome, and it is also thought that the simplicity and advantages of the structure will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which such invention appertains without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim is:

An insulated rail joint construction comprising a metal base plate arranged to rest upon four of the supporting ties, angle members upon the central portion of the base plate above the two intermediate ties, means comprising spikes for securing said angle members to the base plate, a strip of insulating material arranged upon the base plate and extending the entire longitudinal length thereof, said insulating strip having a central flanged portion arranged against the inner face of one of the angle members, rails resting upon the said insulating strip, fiber blocks filling the fishing spaces of the medias w rails disposed in contact with the inner face base plate and end ties, and means for nsu- 10 of one of the angle members and with the lating said securing means.

angular portion of the insulated strip upon Tn testimony whereof we afiX our signathe other angle member, means passing tures in presence of two witnesses.

through the said plates and binding the CHARLES W. MONTGOMERY. filler blocks between the plates and rails, CHARLES A. KHLER.

means for insulating the said binding Witnesses:

means, means for securing the flanges of the E. BRUCE TAYLOR,

rails upon the insulating strip and to the ALMA G. TAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the ltlozrmuissionex` of Patenti,

Washington, JD.. C. 

